Foreign aid, institution building, and sustainability: A case study of the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics, and Strategic Research

This dissertation focuses on external factors that influence the sustainability of a development assistance project (KIMEP) in the nation of Kazakhstan. I argue that ethno-political factors couple with presidential compliance dynamics are strong indicators of whether or not an institution that receives development assistance is able to continue to provide a benefit stream to its stakeholders. My research is designed to test a number of hypotheses that combine systemic political factors with actual stakeholder behavior and preferences.; This research adopted the case study approach and utilized a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods including interviews, primary document research, surveys, and participant observer field work. From this, I developed a new model that blended systems theory with stakeholder analysis. In the case of KIMEP, the model proved useful because it allowed for the successful combination of presidential compliance dynamics and ethno-politics (external systemic political variables) with specific stakeholder reactions and preferences such as the hiring KIMEP students and the behavior of donors to KIMEP. The model clearly demonstrated how stakeholders of KIMEP perceive the importance of external political dynamics and how these linkages affect specific interactions with KIMEP.; The compliance of KIMEP and stakeholders with presidential policies currently has a positive influence upon the likely sustainability of KIMEP. Second, the production of high quality outputs can also be seen as important to the sustainability of KIMEP. The stakeholder-systems model as developed in this dissertation proves to be a useful theoretical tool to analyze institutional sustainability. But the research findings here show that in order to increase its chances for sustainability, the foreign aid intervention must be in favor of the dominant ethnic group.